Current flat panel display technologies include, but are not limited to: Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays (AMLCD); Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED); Electrochromic (Electrical addressed color changing chemistry); and Electrophoretic (Inexpensive, mono chrome, bi-stable technologies [E ink, Gyricon]).
All of these technologies employ a back plane of electrically conductive (e.g., metallic, InSnO/ITO) traces and pixel electrodes, each electrode is “driven” by one or more transistors, hence the name “active matrix” with respect to the liquid crystal implementation. The manufacture of these back planes is now quite complex, and therefore costly. Typically, manufacture of the back plane requires five or six material deposition steps, each of which begins with a broad area deposited (sprayed or sputtered) conductive material, which is then photo-lithographically defined into separate conductive structure, for example by the sub-process steps of:
a) First sputter material
b) Coat with photo polymer resist
c) Selectively expose through photo tool
d) Develop away unexposed photo polymer resist
e) Etch material
f) Strip etch resist
This is a total of six sub-process steps for each of five or six materials equaling 30 to 36 individual steps.
The resulting active matrix back planes have a manufacturing cost of about $50 US per square foot (as of late 2005).
Known organic semiconducting materials include pentacene (see, US 20040232411, expressly incorporated herein by reference), polythiophene, polyfluoren, poly(3-alkylthiophene), a polythiophene derivative (see, US 20070026580, expressly incorporated herein by reference), semiconducting single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) (see, US 20060071334, expressly incorporated herein by reference), and the like. Ink jet printing of such materials to form active devices is known. (See, US 20070023837, 20070023748, 20070020395, 20070018151, 20070014916, 20070013613, 20070012980, 20070007515, 20070004229, 20070004202, 20070002084, 20070001595, 20070001581, 20070001224, 20070001205, 20070001167, 20060292777, 20060289859, 20060286737, 20060284556, 20060284230, 20060284171, 20060281332, 20060279491, 20060273996, 20060273995, 20060273312, 20060273311, 20060270066, 20060269876, 20060267889, 20060267202, 20060267138, 20060267006, 20060267005, 20060267004, 20060267002, 20060263953, 20060262266, 20060261334, 20060255722, 20060255335, 20060254440, 20060251886, 20060244699, 20060244689, 20060244391, 20060244369, 20060240605, 20060240603, 20060238135, 20060237717, 20060237712, 20060237537, 20060234519, 20060234505, 20060234430, 20060234335, 20060232601, 20060232600, 20060231908, 20060231829, 20060231527, 20060228533, 20060226420, 20060223219, 20060220541, 20060220537, 20060220022, 20060220009, 20060220007, 20060216872, 20060216853, 20060216851, 20060214987, 20060214571, 20060214312, 20060214252, 20060214192, 20060214162, 20060214160, 20060214159, 20060214155, 20060214154, 20060211183, 20060211180, 20060210704, 20060208962, 20060205172, 20060203533, 20060202288, 20060202191, 20060197884, 20060197079, 20060196375, 20060194444, 20060191440, 20060186410, 20060181490, 20060172448, 20060171187, 20060170111, 20060169973, 20060166411, 20060164359, 20060163744, 20060162650, 20060160280, 20060160276, 20060159899, 20060159849, 20060159841, 20060158106, 20060157772, 20060157692, 20060155040, 20060151820, 20060151781, 20060148167, 20060145596, 20060145148, 20060145145, 20060145141, 20060144276, 20060141664, 20060139733, 20060139342, 20060138947, 20060138946, 20060138423, 20060138406, 20060138405, 20060138404, 20060138402, 20060134824, 20060134823, 20060132666, 20060132461, 20060132029, 20060131573, 20060131570, 20060131567, 20060131565, 20060131564, 20060131561, 20060128969, 20060127592, 20060125009, 20060124925, 20060124923, 20060124921, 20060121745, 20060121670, 20060121308, 20060118699, 20060118047, 20060116000, 20060115983, 20060113894, 20060113523, 20060108916, 20060105492, 20060102966, 20060102919, 20060102896, 20060102894, 20060102893, 20060099732, 20060099526, 20060098485, 20060097360, 20060094172, 20060094153, 20060093937, 20060092343, 20060092225, 20060081880, 20060081840, 20060079038, 20060076556, 20060076554, 20060076553, 20060075584, 20060068519, 20060066224, 20060061270, 20060060834, 20060054884, 20060054883, 20060049398, 20060049395, 20060045959, 20060044299, 20060044229, 20060043432, 20060043359, 20060043346, 20060040435, 20060040135, 20060038804, 20060038174, 20060036065, 20060033428, 20060033105, 20060033086, 20060030067, 20060027860, 20060027838, 20060027806, 20060027800, 20060024860, 20060017659, 20060014365, 20060013549, 20060012296, 20060012294, 20060012290, 20060012289, 20060011909, 20060011889, 20060009614, 20060008956, 20060007520, 20060006381, 20060006380, 20060006378, 20060001726, 20050285830, 20050285114, 20050285101, 20050285099, 20050282068, 20050280359, 20050280002, 20050277776, 20050277760, 20050277234, 20050276981, 20050276115, 20050275056, 20050274954, 20050274946, 20050274945, 20050269568, 20050269562, 20050266687, 20050263765, 20050260452, 20050260439, 20050259121, 20050259053, 20050258771, 20050258422, 20050258417, 20050255616, 20050250244, 20050249970, 20050247978, 20050247928, 20050245078, 20050244995, 20050243079, 20050242713, 20050242345, 20050236614, 20050233491, 20050231564, 20050231555, 20050230752, 20050230678, 20050221203, 20050218819, 20050218791, 20050218450, 20050215067, 20050214688, 20050211975, 20050208332, 20050205861, 20050202348, 20050197030, 20050196711, 20050196710, 20050194894, 20050194588, 20050189876, 20050189537, 20050186403, 20050184659, 20050181533, 20050179036, 20050173701, 20050170621, 20050170550, 20050170202, 20050170076, 20050168415, 20050164019, 20050163938, 20050163932, 20050162366, 20050162354, and 20050161664, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.)